LEAF is pleased to announce our guest speaker for this year’s national Persons Day Breakfast – The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean – Canada’s 27^th Governor General. In this role, Ms. Jean was a charismatic presence both in Canada and abroad, who worked tirelessly to advance the plight of  women, especially on her 2007 visit to Afghanistan, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day.

In the years since leaving office, Madame Jean has continued to represent Canadians faithfully, acting in her role as UN Special Envoy to Haiti as well as Chancellor of the University of Ottawa; slated to start in the coming weeks.  

As we look forward to our Persons Day Breakfast, to be held once again at the Fairmont Royal York, on Tuesday, October 16th, 2012, LEAF will be profiling the work of Ms. Jean, including her dynamic time as Governor General,  her involvement with a variety of women’s organizations and her ongoing international work.

We are honoured to have her attend and we hope you will join us to hear this incredible woman speak.

LEAF’s January 16,2012 Press Release (Eric c. Lola)

In mid-December, two Canadian women’s groups released a press release saying that the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the authority on women’s human rights at the UN will conduct an inquiry into Canada’s missing and murdered aboriginal women.

For more on the story read the CBC’s, Missing aboriginal women prompt UN letter.

To commemorate December 6th, LEAF’s executive director, Sheryl Hoshizaki spoke to a group of students at the University of Toronto. Here is an excerpt from her talk.

When you are younger it can be more difficult to pinpoint when an event will have a lasting impact – will stay with you and in fact its significance change and deepen over time.  Often, historical events are ones that are clearly embedded as the collective pause and all focus their attention in the same direction.

Tragedies seem to ring especially close when you realize it truly could have been you;  and for women at the time – for young women studying at school, walking freely among campuses, libraries and classrooms – assuming without question they were entitled to pursue an education as part of that landscape, this event was more acute because it was a crime against women.

The anger and violence of that day could easily have been directed at women anywhere right across this country. It spoke to something larger than just one man and one place. And it wasn’t just reserved for places of higher learning.

Although the setting was a school and the notional reason was anger at these young women for taking positions meant for men, it was coming from the very real and dangerous place of an anger towards a certain group of people ‘occupying’ space in a much larger sense. And as we have seen in the last months, ‘to occupy’ can represent something very powerful.

In the time after the massacre thoughts about the significance were divided; to all it was a tragedy – 14 young women shot dead in Montreal – but whether it was an isolated event or something of larger consequence was debated. I believed it then to be something larger and I know this today because my fear that people – young women especially – overlooking the significance of this day means a disbelief that this could happen again.

At the end of all examination and interpretation, I draw my attention to the women who were killed. I think of the families who buried their daughters, sisters and friends; women who lost the opportunity to attend school, to travel, to love their first job, to become mothers, to live past December 6th, 1989. It is imperative that the collective pause again, focus their attention to this day and commit not to be bystanders.

LEAF’s motion for leave to intervene in R. v. Rhodes is front page news in Manitoba and generates important public discussion of discriminatory beliefs in the charging, prosecution and determination of sex assault cases.  See Winnipeg Free Press Nov. 1, 2011 article, “Clumsy Don Juan Appeal Eyed” and Nov. 3, 2011 Editorial,  “Sexual Assault Anomaly”.    More…

Planning to make your annual donation to United Way?  How about considering Women’s Legal Action Fund?

Simply contact your Employee Campaign Coordinator (ECC) and ask your donation be designated to LEAF.

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Thank you for attending the 2011 Persons Day Breakfast Gala!

One of the opening remarks made by the new Executive Director of LEAF, Sheryl Hoshizaki was how wonderful it was to see so many people who had left their cozy beds to come early in the morning to celebrate Persons Day at the 2011 LEAF Breakfast. Hosted by artist Heather Bishop, it was an event full of insightful thoughts, song,  good food and a celebration of the ongoing work LEAF does.

In the keynote address Dr. Avis Glaze spoke of the trailblazing work of the Honourable Beverley McLauchlin, Honourable Rosalie Abella and Michele Landsberg before speaking of the role of justice and equity in education. Great strides have been made in the last few years within education, in large part to policy initiatives and law reform. Dr. Glaze’s acknowledgement of past contributions and hope for the future generations of women spoke to the range of women in the audience.

Standing just outside the gathering one would see the coming together of women with a shared history of struggle but a collective energy for justice.  For over 100 young women that were sponsored by LEAF and OJEN, the breakfast was a kickoff for a day long educational opportunity entitled Trailblazers: Meeting Women in Law.

Longtime LEAF supporter Marilyn Roycroft was honoured by the board as she steps down from her role on the board to take on work with the foundation. It was her parting words to the young women to find an organization and contribute time that was a good reminder of how and why LEAF is able to do the work it does.

Watch the video footage from the Toronto event

We recommend listening to Sally Armstrong on the New Revolutionaries on the CBC program Ideas. This amazing program documents women’s grassroots strategies around the world. The critical role of the Ad Hoc Women’s Committee in the drafting of the equality provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the creation and work of LEAF are discussed as pivotal in the advancement of women’s rights in Canada.